WAS I A GOOD PARENT OR NOT??

I WOULD LIKE TO THINK I SUCCEEDED AS A PARENT.

DID I OR DID I NOT SUCCEED AS A PARENT?


I would like to think that during my life time I have tried to do my work for the greater good and sometimes I think I even succeeded.

Unfortunately, my first marriage was a bust, except for the fact that we had 4 wonderful girls who are now 4 wonderful women. Bobbi, my first wife, did an excellent job of raising our 4 children. I was unable to see them as often as I would have liked as we moved to seperate States, making it difficult to visit. I don't wish to imply I did the raising of the girls all by myself, because of course I did not, both of my wives where heavily involved in doing so.

The young women are all married and seem,  at least to me, to be happy.

I like to think my second marriage was a success. I know it lasted for 40 mostly wonderful years. Yes! we had some trying times, but we had a wonderful daughter, who is now a wonderful woman, mother, and wife.

I have been widowed for 5 years now, and as I have said before, I still miss her. Sometimes when I am watching a tv show or movie with some sad heart wrenching scenes in it, I will start crying, and other times there will be happy scenes that bring back happy memories for me, making me smile or laugh out loud.

I couldn't be more proud of all 5 of my daughters than I already am. I love each and every one of them and I only wish I could see each of them more often.

I now have 8 grandchildren and 5 great-grandchildren.

All of my children are scattered across the country from ocean to ocean and border to border or at least close to them. Only one lives near me, who happens to be my youngest daughter. She lives just 10 miles away.

I suspect that I will never definitively know if I was successful as a parent, but based on what I know of what my children are doing with their lives, I think I succeeded in at least a small measure.

It's too bad there isn't some kind of neutral measuring device that says:

A. You done good.
B. You did all right.
C. You tried.
D. You really messed up.

Anybody else ever feel like this?

God Bless us all.

Victor Winebrenner  aka the Georgia hillbilly.


"(C) Copyright by Victor Winebrenner"